1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to harvesters and, more specifically, to duct support structure and duct transition structure located between the outlets of the ducts and the crop receptacle inlet.
2. Related Art
Harvesters such as cotton pickers and cotton strippers include upright cotton conveying ducts directing cotton from the harvesting structure upwardly and rearwardly into a telescoping basket or receptacle. Many of the current harvesters have fixed ducts with upper ends opening rearwardly into an upper forwardly opening area of the basket. One problem with such a fixed arrangement is cotton loss resulting from the offset between the basket opening and the ducts. The offset, which can be twelve inches or more, is required to provide clearance so the basket can be raised for dumping. As cotton escapes from the offset area, a build-up typically occurs on different parts of the harvester, including the operator access platform, and the build-up has to be manually removed from time to time.
Some presently available conveying systems require flip-out shields to minimize the effect of side winds acting on the cotton as it travels between the duct outlets and the basket opening. As many as six or more shields must be manually folded out of the way when the basket is telescoped downwardly for transport and then manually extended after the basket is raised to the normal operating position. The shields are prone to damage and often have to be replaced.
Although various types of collapsible duct arrangements have been proposed, most have one or more problems. Such problems include cotton path space limitations adjacent the duct outlet, particularly in the rearwardly curved area of the duct which directs the cotton towards the basket opening. Also, lack of adequate exhausting of dirt and debris is a frequent problem caused in part by limited space in the transition zone between the basket opening and outlet.
Structures such as shown in U.S. Pat. No. 5,857,908 include upper duct portions that pivot about a horizontal axis when the basket is lowered. Pivoting structure reduces transport height of the ducts but adds cost and complexity to the structure. Often, movable upper duct sections require a considerable amount of time and labor to move between transport and field working positions. Some presently available systems utilize chains connected to a duct support tube for raising and lowering the ducts. However, if the ducts bind for any reason, the operator must manually force the duct downwardly If the operator fails to disconnect the chains, they will break the first time the basket is moved to the dump position.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide an improved duct support and duct transition structure for a harvester which overcomes most or all of the aforementioned problems.
It is a further object to provide duct support and duct transition structure which facilitates movement of the basket away from the upper portions of the ducts towards a dump position and downward movement of the ducts to a lowered transport position. It is another object to provide such a structure having telescoping upper duct sections which are quickly and easily movable generally linearly in unison with cylinder structure. It is a further object to provide such a structure which eliminates duct binding problems and provides good lateral support for the ducts.
It is another object to provide an improved duct support and transition structure which eliminates the need for manually adjusted shields and which reduces cotton loss and cotton build-up on the machine as compared with at least most previously available support and transition structures. It is a further object to provide such a structure which substantially reduces the number of steps and amount of time and labor necessary to move the basket and ducts between extended field working positions and retracted transport positions.
It is another object of the invention to provide an improved duct support and transition structure which improves cotton flow to the basket and reduces cotton loss between the ducts and the basket. It is a further object to provide such a structure having improved cotton flow and debris removal. It is still another object to provide such a structure having increased grate area for better air and debris exhaust and cotton flow characteristics. It is yet another object to provide such structure in combination with a multi-sectioned telescoping basket having improved capacity, cotton flow and transport configuration.
Accordingly, a duct support and transition structure includes a plurality of upright upper ducts connected to a vertically adjustable support tube extending transversely between the ducts. Vertical slide structure connected to hydraulic cylinders moves the support tube and upper ducts which telescope relative to lower ducts extending upwardly from harvester row units. A telescoping harvester basket includes hood structure which projects forwardly from the forward end of an upper basket lid extension and opens downwardly towards the upper ducts. The ends of the ducts open upwardly into the hood structure so the basket can move to and from the dump position without interference with the ducts. The upper ducts are easily retracted to a lowered transport position by retracting the cylinders to slide the support tube downwardly. The duct support provides lateral stability and eliminates most duct binding problems that otherwise would require a manual fix.
The upper ducts open upwardly into the hood structure which directs cotton flow rearwardly into the uppermost portion basket. The top portion of the hood includes panel and grate structure which extends generally the entire width of the hood and the basket for exhausting air and debris from the cotton flow stream. The extensive hood structure reduces cotton loss without need for separate side shields while facilitating quick and easy transition between basket harvest and dump positions and duct raised and duct lowered positions. The grate area is increased, and flow and debris removal characteristics are enhanced. The basket forward opening and the hood structure extend across a substantial portion of the width of the basket and provide generally unrestricted crop flow between the upper end portions and the receptacle opening through a cross-sectional area greater than a combined cross-sectional of the upwardly opening outlets in the upper ducts.
Folding or flip-out shields and duct support chains, which in the past have been the subject of damage, binding and repair problems, are eliminated. The procedure for raising and lowering the ducts is substantially simplified compared to at least most previously available structures.
These and other objects, features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent to one skilled in the art upon reading the following detailed description in view of the drawings.